Space for Saffron
Ten-year-old Saffron Speiser-Green loves science. Unfortunately, her experiments tend to produce more messes than clean results. However, she plans to win a blue ribbon in her school’s Project Showcase to prove to the world she means business.
But when Saffron’s big volcano project gets Mama fired by ruining the walls at her work, Saffron will do anything to make things right—including helping Mama convince her other mom, Mimi, that they should move to Silicon Valley to run Gran’s coffee shop.
Luckily for Saffron, after the move, her new friends are busy preparing for a STEM Expo, and she is determined to find a project “smart” enough to show everyone she belongs there. But the coffee shop? It’s a bit of a disaster. And if it closes, her family will have to move again. After a class trip to San Francisco’s STEAMology Museum, though, Saffron knows how to save the cafe … and what to do for her project. But she’s going to need a lot of help.
Can Saffron prove she’s more than a mess-maker and rescue the family business?
Additional information
| Genre | Contemporary, LGBTQ+ |
|---|---|
| Age | Middle Grade |
| Publisher | Simon & Schuster |
| Imprint | Aladdin |
| Language(s) | English |
| Format(s) | eBook, Hardcover, Trade paperback |
| Author | Rie Neal |
| Release Date | 03 February 2026 |
| Release Month | February Releases |
| Author Identity | Neurodivergent |
| Content Rep | Disability, LGBTQIA+, Neurodivergence |
About the Author
Rie Neal is a children’s book author who loves all things space. Growing up, she was often dragged on her grandfather’s unauthorized tours of NASA Ames, which she didn’t appreciate enough at the time. Eventually, though, she became a full-blown space fan, and began to write space-related books for kids. She also has a doctor of audiology degree and is a nationally certified audiologist.
Today, she lives in Silicon Valley with her husband and two kids, where they drag people on (authorized) tours of the NASA Ames visitor center. Represented by Carrie Pestritto at Laura Daily Literary Agency.
